Secondary battery



(No Model.)

J E RHETTS snconmmz BATTERY.

No. 528,445. Patentd-Oct. 30,1 94.

W12 WESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. RHETTS, OF SALEM, INDIANA.

. SECONDARY BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 528,445, dated October30, 1894.

Application filed November 22, 1893- Serial No. 491,629. (No model.)

' To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatL'JoHN E. RHETTs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Salem, in

the county of Washington and State of Indiana, have invented certainnew. and useful Improvements in Electrodes for Secondary Batteries; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same. 7

My invention relates to an improvement in electrodes for secondarybatteries, or accumulators.

The object of my invention is, not only to avoid the buckling whichtakes place in these forms of cells with which I am acquainted, but alsoto construct an electrode without any soldered joints.

The invention will first be described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and then particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a series of electrodesas they appear when clamped together ready for insertion in a cell. Fig.2 is a perspective view of one electrode, not filled. Fig. 3 is avertical section of the same.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that each electrode consistsof a thin receptacle A, having sides, at, end pieces a, a bottom, acentral portions, a and a binding post lug, a, all cast from one pieceof suitable metal, such as lead, the sides, or. walls, a, beingperforated as shown in order that the electrolyte may have free accessto the interior of the electrode which is filled with proper excitingmaterial, the negative electrode containing litharge or oxide of lead,while the positive electrode contains mininm or triplumbic oxide.

A series ofpairs of electrodes constructed as just described are placedtogether in the usual way, with insulating plates between them, thebinding post lugs of the positive plates being all at one end, while thelugs of the negative electrodes are all at the other end. The negativeand positive plates alternate as usual, and the lugs are bent as shownin the drawings and united by bolts B, which pass through the lugs andare provided with nuts, there being two bolts for each terminal,

the upper bolts serving as the binding posts for the conductors.- Aroundtheset of electrodes thus arranged are placed horizontally a series ofrubber bands 0, while at right angles are placed the rubber bands D,these bands serving to hold the electrodes together.

By scraping the surfaces of the various electrode lugs where theycontact with each other a good electrical connection is made whenthebolts are screwed up. I

The central partitions strengthen the walls, or sides of the separatereceptacles and prevent them from buckling, thereby enabling theelectrodes to be used much longer than when not so constructed.Moreover, as the electrodes are cast all inone piecethere are nosoldered joints to give way and for this reason the electrodes last muchlonger.

velope with the active material, and does away with the necessity ofcasting the en-' velope thereabout, whereby the manufacture of the cellis much cheapened and simplified.

Having thus fully described my invention, whatI claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a secondary battery, a series of negative and positive electrodeseach consisting of a flattened leaden receptacle having ends and bottomclosed and its side walls perforated, the alternate members of saidseries being provided at opposite ends with integral lugs projectingfrom their upper ends and forming two series of binding posts, thecentral lugs of each series being provided with two bolt holes and theremaining lugs of the respective series being bent inward laterally andbolted to the central lugs by bolts passed through the lower bolt holes,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. RHETTS.

Witnesses:

ELMER F. BOGGS, JAooB Z. ZINK.

